Sitting in a parliamentary committee hearing when government officials are being grilled makes one wonder how things are ever achieved at all. Government officials seem to be always a step behind until they are summoned by parliament to account. In the past, it came to a conclusion that many leaders were under great pressure to perform well in the annual performance contracts (Imihigo) and opted for shortcuts or even cooking the books. That is the case of many cross-border markets that are making the wrong headlines. How does someone build a warehouse that is not accessible to vehicles (Karongi), has no running water (Cyanika) or the electric installation is monophase (Rusizi) that cannot run a cold room to preserve perishables? Definitely some of these findings need clear explanations because some people seem to be reading from a script different from the government’s: Putting the interests of 12 million people. So, how difficult is it for REG to honour the interests of 37 people who have been waiting for their expropriation compensation for the past five years? Does it mean that all this time it has failed to raise the six million francs to pay the Nyabihu residents? This is not something that has to go through parliament to be resolved, but it shows an utter disregard of expropriation laws which clearly states that works only begin after full compensation is paid, and that payment should be made within 120 days beyond which the agreement becomes null and void. The Rwf100 or 200 thousand might not seem much to a pen-pushing civil servant in Kigali, but to the villager it is a fortune that can make the difference between make and break.
